Business Focus

Story by Wes Altom

Submitted Photos

The Business Focus is chosen each month by random drawing from among Postcards contract advertisers.

Lacy Cooper-Bell is no stranger to our area. She is a Liberty County native who graduated from Dayton High School and Lamar University. After spending 13 years working in the oil and gas industry, Lacy longed for a career with more personal ownership. She found that, plus the added benefit of constantly connecting with her community, in becoming a loan officer for Southern Elite Mortgage Services.

Southern Elite Mortgage Services is the trusted American Pacific Mortgage Corporation division that caters to the specific needs of local communities. Southern Elite Mortgage Services’ mission is to create experiences that matter while serving your home financing needs. While the bulk of their loans are residential, Lacy says they do some commercial lending as well. “We have a lot of growth in our area. With that growth comes challenges, and we work to stay on top of those,” said Lacy.

Southern Elite offers both fixed and adjustable-rate loans with a variety of options and strives to make sure the loan sought is the best fit for the customer.

As to how long the process takes, Lacy says 30 days is typical. “We like to shorten that wherever we can. When you have a couple who both work and are W-2 employees, that’s straightforward, we have an AI underwriting program that can sometimes get them approved within a week..” For applicants who are self-employed, the process to prove income can sometimes be a little more difficult and take more time. “We are working

I’m worried I can’t buy a home due to down payment requirements.

You might be surprised. You may be in an income bracket that qualifies for down payment assistance. There are several options available. Some require repayment, but some include forgiveness after a certain amount of time in the home.

I need a loan for a mobile home.

“We do cover mobile homes,” stated Lacy. “That’s a big question we get in our area. We have a lot of mobile home owners.”

What if I live outside of the area?

Lacy can service loans for any property in the state.

I’m concerned about interest rates.

“Don’t wait. If you’re financially ready right now, don’t put it off,” said Lacy. “You can’t predict the future. If rates go down in the future, you always have the option to refinance.” on a process right now to make it faster for them,” said Lacy.

Lacy finds many people really don’t have a good understanding of how credit and credit ratings affect them. “It’s not just ‘all my bills are paid, so I’m good’,” said Lacy. “To qualify for a mortgage, you really need to have existing credit lines with a two-year history of faithfully paying without missed payments.” While Lacy can’t actually perform credit repair services for customers, she happily educates them, helps them identify issues that need to be addressed, and shares resources that might assist them to improve their credit scores.

According to Lacy, the ideal time to start the process is six months to a year ahead of home purchase. “Then we can look at your credit and anything you have going on debtwise. This gives time for us to get ‘all your ducks in a row’ and have everything looking great, so when we go to do your application, you are immediately approved.” Waiting until you’ve already found a house you’re looking for, then having some credit issue pop up, can delay the process and even result in missed purchase opportunities. “A lot of people don’t do it ahead, but ideally, you want to get pre-approved for the loan first. This process also helps you have a realistic idea of what you can afford in a mortgage,” advised Lacy.

Lacy also has the flexibility to communicate with customers in any manner they prefer— whether by phone call, email, text messaging, meeting in person, or through their realtor.

When she’s not working, Lacy enjoys time with her husband Brian Bell and her parents, Oscar and Izora Cooper, working on their blueberry farm and vegetable garden. Lacy said, “It’s just the four of us, and that’s our ‘pet project’ together. I enjoy feeding people!”

“Given the growth in our area right now, I think it’s an exciting time to be here. It’s an exciting time to be involved in the process of getting people in their new dream home, building community.”

Whether you are buying your first home, a new investment property, or building your dream home, Lacy and Southern Elite Mortgage Services can empower you with confidence, knowledge, and solid expertise from loan application through closing.

Mustard Seed Moments

by Wes Altom

Baby Needs a New Pair of Shoes!

As a child, I vividly remember mom taking us to the shoe store when we outgrew our current pair. There would always be a measurement with a store employee on that metal shoe sizer, followed by selecting a pair, trying them on, “Raise your toe so I can see where it is,” then “Yes, I WOULD like to wear them out of the store.” But, for a child buying tennis shoes, the most important item on the checklist was, “Stand back so I can see how fast they are,” followed by a blazing run to the end of the aisle and back. Somehow, there seemed to be “magic” in those new shoes (or maybe it was a magical excuse to be able to run indoors without getting in trouble.)

Now that I’m older, I believe more than ever in the magic of a new pair of shoes. I have learned over time that the key to learning so many important life lessons—how to have compassion, how to be a servant, how to forgive, how to have humility…how to apply the Golden Rule in general—rests in our ability to put ourselves in someone else’s shoes (with Dictionary assist: To imagine oneself in the situation or circumstances of another person, so as to understand or empathize with their perspective, opinion, or point of view.)

I think one could argue, in fact, that we are never more Christ-like than when we do so. After all, he left heaven to walk a few thousand miles (and the road to Calvary) in our shoes…

Here is one thing that would complete my joy—come together as one in mind and spirit and purpose, sharing in the same love. Don’t let selfishness and prideful agendas take over. Embrace true humility, and lift your heads to extend love to others. Get beyond yourselves and protecting your own interests; be sincere, and secure your neighbors’ interests first. Philippians 2:2-4